This invention relates to a video camera apparatus in which an electronic view finder being provided with a stereo microphone is detachably mounted on a video camera main body and particularly relates to improvement in signal selection of stereophonic signals from the stereo microphone.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of a conventional video camera. In FIG. 1, the numeral 1 denotes a video camera main body. An electronic view finder 2 is mounted on main body 1. View finder 2 is detachable from main body 1. A one-point stereo microphone 3 is fixed at one side of view finder 2, and a CRT 4 of the view finder is fixed at the other side thereof. Main body 1 is provided at the front center with a camera lens 5 and at the front lower end with a grip 6.
Electronic view finder 2 may be mounted on video camera main body 1 as shown in FIG. 2A (right or normal posture) when the operator uses his or her right eye for photographing. Or, electronic view finder 2 may be mounted on video camera main body 1 as shown in FIG. 2B (left or reverse posture) when the operator uses his or her left eye for photographing. The upper side of a display screen in CRT 4 in the case of FIG. 2A (for right eye) becomes the lower side in CRT 4 in the case of FIG. 2B (for left eye). Thus, an image displayed at CRT 4 of FIG. 2B is top/bottom-reversed from an image displayed at CRT 4 of FIG. 2A. To avoid such inconvenience, the picture information of a video signal is electrically top/bottom-reversed by a video reverse switch (not shown) so that a normal image is obtained also in the case of FIG. 2B.
When electronic view finder 2 is mounted on video camera main body 1 in the left or reverse posture (FIG. 2B), the stereophonic information of signals from stereo microphone 3 is reversed (i.e., L & R to R & L) from the case of the right or normal posture (FIG. 2A). Such a situation provides no practical problem when an exact stereophonic sound effect is not required. However, in certain cases, the abovementioned reverse of stereophonic information provides an actual problem. For instance, when the operator photographs in the reverse posture (FIG. 2B) a train which runs from left to right, if the reversed stereophonic recording is performed, the playback of reproduced sound invites the audience to strange feelings. This is because the picture of the train runs from left to right but the sound image (e.g., alarm-whistle) of the train moves from right to left.